Coal mining machine



NOV. 5, 1968 G, DOMMANN ET AL 3,409,329

COAL MINING MACHINE Filed March 24, 1966 INVENTORS.' GNTHER UUMMANN WERNER ME-NNEKES United States Patent Oftice 3,409,329 Patented Nov. 5, 1 9268 3,409,322 v COAL MINING MACHINE l Gunther Dommann, Altlunen, and Werner Mennekes, Wethmar, near Lunen, Westphalia, Germany, assignors to Gewerkschaft Eisenhutte Westfalia, Wethmar, near Lnnen, Westphalia, Germany, a corporation of Germany Filed Mar. 24, 1966, Ser. No. 537,122

Claimsv priority, application Germany, Mar. 26, 1965,

6 `Claims. (Cl. 299-34) `AsTRAcroF THE DISCLOSURE Machine for mining coal consisting of a body' having at least one rotatable cutting means thereon, which machine bodyV is caused to transverse a mine face by the action of a chain drive wherein the chain drive further provides the power for driving the rotatable cutting means through a variable power coupling means.

a conveyor. The cutting heads ofthe machine face the coal .face and` as the machine passes -the coal facethe cutting heads plane olf coal which is'removed from the vicinity of the machine by means -of a conveyor.

It has generally been the practice in this art to provide a chain drive for the cutting machine, whereby the machine is moved from. one end of the coal seam to the other while the cutting head or plane is stationary with respect to the machine. Cutting is accomplished by the machine dragging the cutting head or plane across the coal face.

Another type of 4coal mining machine which is in lgeneral use in this industry utilizes a cutting head which moves relative to the machine body, Vsuch as for example rotary motion, In this type. of machine thecutting headmoves with relation to both the coal face andthe itself acts as a drilling member. The combination of the two movements, the mining'machine and the cutting head, results in a milling type of excavation of the coal face. Y

In equipment of this type it is common for the cutting head to be driven separately from the mining machine. Thus, at least two separate drive means are required together`wth"associated auxiliary equipment and power transmission means. If the cutter head drive is operated on electrical energy, long cables Vfrom the power source to the mining machine are require d to feed the power ,needed to run the cutter head driving'means.

As can be appreciated, operating a mining machine with multiple power systems and multiple drive systems is less than desirable, due not only to the complexities of the operation but also because of the increased capital and operating expense occasioned thereby.

Further, it is common that such mining machinery which is in use today, whether it employs a fixed or movable cutter head, is so constructed that the cutter or cutters are xed in position relative to the iloor of the mine tunnel or at least with respect to their relationship to the guiding conveyor belt. It can be seen that'this is not a particularly desirable circumstance since then it is often necessary to remine the same coal face with either the same or different mining machines having cutter heads at different spacings relative to the o'or or the' conveyor. v It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a novel coal mining machine.

It is another object of this invention to provide a novel coal mining machine having at least one cutting head movable with respect to the cutting machine.

It is a further objectfof this invention to provide a coal mining machine having at least one movable cut-ting head wherein a singledrive means operates both the cutting movement of the cutting head and the lateral movement of the mining machine a-s a whole. v

Other and additional lobjects will become apparent from a full consideration of this entirespecication including the drawing and the claims appended hereto. f' y' yIn accord with and fullling these objects, this invention resides, in one of its broadest aspects, in? a coal mining machine having a single drive mean-s and at least one cutting head movable with relation to the whole of said mining machine, wherein said single drive means both propels said mining machine along the'c'oal face and also causes said cutting head to move with relation to said mining machine as a whole.

This invention will be better understood with reference to the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIG. 1 is an elevation in schematic representation of an apparatus in accord with this invention;

FIG. 2 is an elevation in schematic representation of the apparatus of FIG. 1 shown in greater'detail; and

FIG. 3 is a side elevation of an apparatus according to this invention similar to the apparatus shown in FIG. 2.

In the drawing like parts and parts having a like function are denoted by the same reference characters.

Referring now to the drawing, and particularly to FIG. 1 thereof, a mining machine assembly is there shown viewed lfrom the direction of the coal face upon -which the mining machine is operating. This mining machine assembly is shown as comprising a guiding conveyor means 2 resting upon the mine tunnel floor or upon a suitable platform erected on such floor. The mining machine itself 6 is shown operatively associated-with the conveyor means 2, and suitably mounted thereon. A movable cutting head 12 is shown mounted on the cutting machine l6 and connected thereto by a supporting arm 42. An endless driving belt is shown operatively connecting the mining machine `6 to machine driving means 51 and 52 therefor, and conveyor driving means 53 and 54 are shown suitably near the machine driving means. A ixedly positioned guide belt 60, suitably anchored at stanchions 55 and 56, is shown operatively associated with the mining machine 6.

Reference is now made to FIGS. l and 2 which show the operation of this invention. The endless belt 50 is connected to the mining machine 6 through a power transmission roller 46. Suitably two rollers 45' may be positioned along the driving belt for purposes lto be described hereinafter. The movement of the driving belt 50 about the power transmission roller 46 provides the power'to drive the cutting head 12. Power may be transmitted 4 from the roller 46 to the cutting head 12 through suitconventional system for power coupling, such as hydraulic or electric, or via gears, pulleys or belt drives. It is preferred in the practice of this invention to provide a power coupling means of a type by which the roller 46 may be driven at a speed completely independent of the driving speed of the roller 46', and by which the roller 46 can 'be idle during a time when the roller 46' is being powered. While this latter described relative independence of operation of the rollers 46 and 46' is a desirable attribute of this invention, it is by no means critical to the operation hereof. The rollers 46 and 46' must be power coupled so as to be driven by the same power source, but this coupling may be on a fixed relationship of power basis, if desired.

Inl a preferred mode of operation, the power means 51 and 52 drives the roller 46' through the driving belt 50; the rollerv46' drives both the cutting head 12 and the drive roller 46; and the drive roller 46 accomplishes the lateral movement of the mining machine 6 by bearing upon the iixedly positioned belt 60.

lThe rollers 45 and 45' mentioned above may be used, if desired, and can serve a useful function. By spacing either set of the rollers 45 or 45' close together and about the respective roller 46 or 46', the belt S0 or 60 operatively associated with the roller 46 or 46 can be made to more totally wrap the roller 46 or 46' and therefore pro- .vde for more efficient power transmission between the belt and its associated roller. It is within the spirit and scope of this invention either to have or not to have the rollers 45 and 45. Where these rollers or either of them are present, they may be idler rollers or may be used as power take-off or drive means, as the case may be. They may be positioned as shown in the drawing, that is, so as to provide a tight loop about the roller 46 or 46' or one of them may be used such that the belt forms a more or less pronounced S about it and its associated roller 46 or 46.

It is within the scope of this invention that the same roller 46 can drive both the cutting head 12 and the mining machine 6 by putting both belts 50 and -60 in operative association with either the single roller 46 or with the combination of the rollers 45 and 46.

The drive belts 50 and 60 are suitably of the chain type. They may be of materials other than chain, if desired, but the use of chains has been found to give excellent results. It is preferred to use link chains adapted to be used with sprockets and to provide the rollers 45, 45', 46 and 46', as sprocket gears, such that positive drive action can be transmitted between the rollers and'the belts with little or no slippage being incurred. It is often desirable to provide means for changing the position of the cutting head with relation to the mine tunnel floor or the conveyor guide. This is provided for by the practice of the instant invention as shown in FIG. 2. The height and position of the cutting head 12 can be regulated by the cylinder and contained piston assembly 18, which can suitably be operated by hydraulic means controllable either directly or remotely as the case may be in the known manner.

Y Referring now to FIG. 3, a slightly modified apparatus according to this invention is shown, wherein several cutting means are utilized in connection with a single mining machine. A mining machine 6, of the general type described above, is equipped with a planing head 40 for removing coal from the lowest part of the coal face 61.

A rotating cutting tool 41' is suitably affixed to-the roller 46' in such position that ithremoves coal from the coal face just above that part thereof being cut by the planer. A second rotating cutting head 12 is mounted and operated as described above with reference'to FIGS. 1 and 2. Thus a single machine4 can be operated to mine an entire coal face simultaneously by positioning a sufficient numberpof cutting heads in `proper relationl on a single mining machine. i

It is within the spirit and scope of this'invention to utilize the apparatus described herein in 'substantially any position relative to the horizontal. The description herein has been with reference to the iloo'r of a mine tunnel for ease of description purposesThis apparatus would be just as effective operating on an inc linedsurface as a horizontal surface; in fact it could be used tol mine vertically if desired. Further, it is not necessary to use this apparatus only for mining coal, although the description has referred to this use for explanatory purposes. It will be appreciated that the mining machine assembly of this invention is useful in other types of mining and rock o earth cutting or excavation work.

We claim:

1. A mining machine assembly comprising a mining machine body at least one cutting means mounted on said body movable with relation thereto; drive means for said assembly which is adapted to cause said body to move with relation to a mine face and is also adapted to cause said cutting means to move with relation to said body and with relation to said mining face; the improvement which comprises providing two belts operatively associated with said machine assembly, the first of said belts being an endless belt operatively associated with drive means therefor and with said movable cutting means through a first roller mounted on said body, and the second of said belts being substantially fixedly positioned about a roller means on said machine body, which second roller means is coupled to said first roller means through a variable power coupling means.

2. The improved mining machine as claimed in claim 1, wherein said variable power coupling means is an hydraulic coupling.

3. The improved machine as claimed in claim 1, wherein each of said belts is a sprocket chain and eac of said rollers is a sprocket roller.

4. The improved mining machine claimed in claim 1, wherein said movable cutter means is rotatable and position movable with respect to said machine body.

5. The improved mining machine claimed in claim 1, having at least one additional cutter means thereon, which additional cutter means is substantially stationary in relation to said machine body.

6. The improved mining machine claimed in claim 5, wherein all of said cutter means are operable against different portions ofthe same mining face.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,105,505 1/1938 Ramsay 299--44 X 2,680,606 6/1954 BoltonA 299-43 2,981,527 4/1961 Kircher et al 299--44 X FOREIGN PATENTS 758,051 l 9/ 1956 Great Britain.

ERNEST n. PURsER, Primm Examiner. 

